The world’s best sushi restaurant has been dumped from the Michelin Guide, losing its illustrious three-star rating for becoming too exclusive.
Sukiyabashi Jiro, the tiny 10-seater Tokyo restaurant that was subject of the 2011 documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” lost its spot in the guide over its decision to only open for guests and VIPs.
“We recognize Sukiyabashi Jiro does not accept reservations from the general public, which makes it out of our scope,” a spokeswoman for the guide told The Guardian as it unveiled its latest Tokyo edition.
The restaurant run by 94-year-old Jiro Ono, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest sushi chefs, had held a three-star rating since Michelin published its first guide to Tokyo dining in 2007.
It became a favorite for visiting dignitaries, with then-US President Obama dining there with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014.
The 2011 documentary about Ono and his establishment may have sparked the current woe, with it making the tiny basement restaurant housed in a Tokyo metro station too popular to accept tourists.
The Michelin spokeswoman stressed that the restaurant had not “lost stars” but was just “not subject to coverage in our guide.”
“Michelin’s policy is to introduce restaurants where everybody can go to eat,” the rep told The Guardian.
On its homepage, Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten said it was no longer taking reservations by telephone, and overseas diners would have to book through their hotel concierge.
“As our restaurant can only seat up to 10 guests at a time, this situation is likely to continue,” it said. “We will not be able to accept telephone reservations until further notice.”
A call to the restaurant before regular opening hours was met with an answering machine message apologizing for no longer accepting bookings.
With Post wires